Pro-environmental habits: An underexplored research agenda in sustainability science

• DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01619-6
• Publication Date: 2021-09-14T14:02:41Z
• Authors: Noah Linder; Matteo Giusti; Karl Samuelsson; Stephan Barthel
• Keywords: Habit; Transformative Learning; Leverage (statistics); Sustainability science; Nudge theory

Habits are the fundamental basis for many of our daily actions and can be powerful barriers to behavioural change. Still, habits not included in most narratives, theories, interventions applied sustainable behaviour. One reason societies struggle reach policy goals people fail change towards more pro-environmental lifestyles might that behaviours now bound by strong override knowledge intentions act. In this perspective article, we provide three arguments why a needed research agenda sustainability science: (1) habit theory highlights how behaviour is heavily reliant on automatic processes, (2) environmental context sets boundary conditions behaviour, shape habits, cues action responses, (3) past values self-identity. These highlight transformative potential looking at through lens. We believe could generate holistic understanding complement today's dominating approaches which emphasize reasoned decisions intrinsic motivations such as values, norms, understand predict evident gaps practical benefits considering promote behaviours, architecture utilized leverage point when designing, modifying, building urban environments.